Hoffman Accuses Trump of Retaliation
Reid Hoffman, co-founder of LinkedIn, has accused President Trump of retaliating against him in light of reports regarding a Justice Department investigation into payments made by Hoffman’s nonprofit that supported E. Jean Carroll’s lawsuit against Trump.
“President Trump’s recent allegations against me are completely baseless,” Hoffman stated on Thursday, expressing his frequent criticism of the president in a lengthy post.
This came after a report indicated that the Justice Department is looking into Carroll’s claim from 2022 that she had not received any external funding for her lawsuit, despite financial contributions from Hoffman’s nonprofit. The Justice Department has since denied these claims.
Nonetheless, it appears Hoffman’s organization is indeed under scrutiny, as reported by multiple sources.
Hoffman, known for being a significant donor to the Democratic Party, reacted with frustration. He commented, “If the topic weren’t so serious, the premise of the investigation would be laughable.”
He continued, “President Trump is trying to intimidate those who oppose him with these fraud investigations. He is mistaken. I will stand my ground.”
Hoffman recently attracted attention for his participation in the Justice Department’s release of documents related to Jeffrey Epstein. Although their emails suggested a friendship, Hoffman has not faced any accusations regarding Epstein and has expressed regrets about the association.
Meanwhile, the top federal prosecutor in Chicago confirmed that Carroll herself is not under investigation. Andrew Boutros, the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, noted that amidst the vast media attention surrounding the E. Jean Carroll case, there has been no initiation of a criminal investigation against her.
President Trump continues to deny Carroll’s allegations and is actively contesting the court’s decisions against him. In 2019, Carroll sued Trump for defamation concerning his denials of sexual assault, winning $83.3 million in a civil ruling. A subsequent lawsuit in 2022 led to the jury finding Trump liable for both sexual abuse and defamation, resulting in a $5 million judgment for Carroll.
As of now, neither Carroll nor Hoffman faces any criminal charges, and both have chosen not to comment on the investigation.
The newspaper has reached out to Hoffman for further statements.
